"I'm going to go crazy," Dales Leston muttered.
"Uncle Dales, you don't have to worry too much," Caron reassured him. "Seria is in there, remember? You know how capable she is. She could probably bring the dead back if she wanted to."
"Don't call me uncle—no, forget it. And you—how could you say something ominous on a day like this?" Dales said in a polite way.
"Why are you suddenly being so formal? People are watching," Caron teased.
Dales groaned deeply, exhaling a long breath. "I'm sorry... I must've lost my mind... Ha..."
As the acting head of the Ducal Family of Leston and father of Leon, Dales stood before the closed door, gnawing at his nails. Gathered near him were the other members of the Leston bloodline, including Caron himself, all pacing anxiously.
"Leon will be all right, right?" Leo asked, his voice quivering.
"Leo, stop fussing," Dales said flatly.
"But it's been a while since the labor pains started, hasn't it?" Leo asked.
"It's been an hour," Dales replied.
"What?" Leo asked, confused.
"Leo, we flew here on Gratia, remember?" Caron added.
"Oh. Right," Leo said.
Leo, Hugo, and even Sabina were there—every major figure of the Ducal Family of Leston, gathered in one place. Each of them wore an expression tight with worry.
They were inside the Imperial Medical Wing, where the most skilled doctors and the highest-ranking priests in the empire worked—an institution that symbolized imperial medicine itself.
Revelio, ever the devoted husband, had arranged a private birthing chamber for Leon, staffed with the very best medical team. And on top of that, the Grand Saintess Seria herself was overseeing the delivery.
In theory, nothing could possibly go wrong. Yet everyone except Caron was consumed by anxiety.
"Caron, aren't you nervous?" Leo asked.
"Maybe a little," Caron said with a faint grin. "I'm excited to see my nephew or niece's face."
"...You're not worried about Leon?" Leo asked
Caron smirked, then replied, "Leon is strong enough to break my back with a slap. You've seen her wield a sword on the battlefield."
"Still, you're a heartless bastard sometimes," Leo muttered.
Just then, Sabina, who had been standing quietly to the side, spoke up. "Leo."
"Yes, Lady Sabina?" Leo responded.
"Caron may talk like that, but as soon as we arrived, he slipped Dew of the World Tree into the birthing chamber," Sabina explained.
Leo's eyes widened, turning to Caron in surprise. So the man who always acted cold had actually gone to great lengths in secret.
"No wonder he took so much from the World Tree," Leo murmured.
"Half is for Leon, and the other half is for my nephew or niece," Caron said matter-of-factly.
"Huh?" Leo asked.
"I asked the World Tree, and apparently if you bathe a newborn in its dew, they'll grow up strong and healthy. It helps them absorb mana better when they're young," Caron explained.
Leo stared at him and said, "Are you trying to turn our nephew or niece into some kind of monster?"
"Living healthy is good," Caron said with a shrug. "They don't have to take up a sword. We were born into the Ducal Family of Leston, so we had no choice. But our nephew or niece, they'll be free to become whatever they want."
As Caron spoke, fragments of his previous life flickered in his mind—his years as a slave, bound and beaten, never knowing freedom, never daring to dream.
But this child would be different. Caron gazed at the closed door and smiled faintly, then thought, I'll make sure they can choose their own path.
This newborn was the first child of the next generation, so that made them precious beyond words.
Caron would be the kind of uncle who gave everything, no matter how excessive it seemed. He had already decided that.
"You try to not sound like it, but you are nervous, aren't you?" Guillotine teased.
"Don't jinx it, you demonic sword," Caron muttered under his breath. "If my nephew or niece ends up tainted by your bad luck, I'll make you regret it."
"Wow, that's harsh. Can't I have even a little credit here?" Guillotine grumbled irritably, though even its voice carried a note of excitement. After all, it was the ancestral blade of the Ducal Family of Leston—it couldn't help but rejoice at the birth of a new heir of its bloodline.
"...But, this is taking a while," Caron murmured.
"Caron, it's only been five minutes," Fayle said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Five minutes feels like five hours to me," Caron replied.
"Leon's giving birth for the first time. It could take quite a while," Fayle replied calmly.
"Really?" Caron asked.
"Except for rare cases, yes," Fayle answered.
"What about me?" Caron asked.
"...You were one of the rare cases," Fayle said with a wry smile. "From the first contraction to birth—it took exactly one hour."
Caron scratched his head awkwardly. He couldn't remember the moment of his own birth anyway.
Just then...
Waaaaaah!
A loud, strong cry rang out from beyond the door. It was the baby's cry.
Fayle blinked, then gave a helpless chuckle and said, "Well, it seems we've just had another rare case. And the mother..."
"Leon's mana flow is steady," Caron said quickly, his senses stretching out to read the mana beyond the wall. "No irregularities that I can feel."
The long-awaited moment had come.
Caron wondered what his nephew or niece would look like, and if there was anything wrong with their health.
His thoughts raced—until the door finally creaked open.
Creak.
Seria stepped out, her face aglow, and looked straight at Caron. She said softly, "You may come in now."
"How's Leon?" Caron asked.
"Both Her Majesty and the young prince are perfectly healthy," Seria answered.
"Prince?" Caron repeated.
"Yes," Seria said with a smile.
The family hurried inside, Caron among them.
Leon lay on the bed, pale but smiling as she looked at her family crowding the room. Laughing under her breath, she said weakly, "You all look so worried."
The most surprising of them all was Leon's father, Dales. He was usually cold and distant, but he rushed straight to his daughter the moment he entered.
"Leon, are you all right? You're not hurting anywhere, are you...?" Dales asked in a trembling voice.
"I'm just a little tired," Leon replied with a small smile. "Other than that, I'm fine."
"Thank the gods... Truly, thank the gods," Dales murmured as he clasped her hand tightly, relief softening his stern features. Leon smiled brighter at the sight.
"I thought you'd be looking for your grandson first," Leon teased.
"I've always wanted to tell you this," Dales said quietly. "You are my treasure, Leon."
Leon laughed lightly, then said, "Hearing you say that feels... strange, Father."
As father and daughter shared a gentle smile, Revelio carefully laid the newborn beside Leon. The baby was wrapped in a golden blanket, his tiny body trembling as he cried out with powerful lungs.
"Isn't he beautiful?" Leon whispered.
"Beautiful and more," Dales said, his voice cracking. "He's absolutely precious."
His eyes quivered as he looked down at the child—a baby with soft black hair and clear blue eyes, inheriting both parents' features.
As if sensing his grandfather's gaze, the baby quieted, staring up at Dales with calm, curious eyes.
Caron said nothing and simply walked closer to the bed. He thought the baby's wrinkled little face looked... oddly ugly.
"Caron," Leon called softly, smiling at him. "That's the first time I've seen you make that face."
"What face?" Caron asked.
"You look like you're about to cry," Leon replied.
"Me? No way," Caron said.
"Come here," Revelio suggested, gesturing him closer.
Caron hesitated, then stepped beside him. From this distance, he could see the baby's face more clearly. The child was beautiful. So much more beautiful than he had expected.
"Shouldn't he be crying right now? I thought babies were supposed to cry after birth," Caron asked. "He was crying before, but he suddenly stopped."
The doctor beside them scratched his head, looking awkward, then answered, "The young prince is exceptionally healthy, my lord. I'm not sure why he stopped crying, but his breathing and all other signs are perfectly normal—"
"No need to explain," Caron interrupted. "I've got eyes, don't I? He looks plenty healthy to me."
The newborn, now quiet, was even smiling—bright and alert, far too expressive for someone born mere minutes ago.
Revelio gently lifted the baby and placed him into Leon's arms. Leon's face softened with bliss as she cradled him close.
"You did so well," Revelio said softly. "You really did."
Leon looked up at him with a radiant smile, and said, "You too."
"What did I do?" Revelio's voice cracked, tears streaming down his face. "You... You're the one who did e-everything!"
He began sobbing openly like a child.
Leon tenderly brushed her baby's cheek and whispered, "Halo Karien. That's his name."
"The name of the one who gifted us our future," Revelio said, nodding beside her.
"Halo Karien..." Caron repeated quietly. The surname was different, but he was still Halo. Caron nodded as he murmured his nephew's name.
Leon turned toward him and asked gently, "Do you want to hold him?"
Caron froze and replied, "Can I?"
"Of course," Leon said, smiling.
Carefully, Caron took Halo from her arms and held him close. The baby was warm, impossibly small—yet his heartbeat was steady and strong, thumping against Caron's chest like a tiny drum.
"Wow..." Caron murmured as the baby gurgled happily, letting out a sound that almost resembled laughter.
It wasn't the face of a newborn—more like someone who already understood the world. And perhaps it was just the name, but that smile felt strangely familiar.
"Hey there," Caron whispered. "I'm your uncle."
At his voice, little Halo reached out with his hand and then...
Smack!
The sound echoed through the room as Halo's tiny palm met Caron's cheek with surprising force.
"C-Caron!" Leon gasped.
"Wow," Caron remarked.
Everyone froze in shock, but Caron just laughed. His cheeks stung. No—they burned. He wondered how that strength was even possible from a newborn.
"Caron, your nose is bleeding," Leon said.
"I've never seen his nose bleeding before," Leo added.
Murmurs filled the room—the mighty Caron, struck down by a baby and getting a nosebleed.
Dales chuckled faintly and said, "This brings back memories. Father got a nosebleed when you hit him as a baby, too."
"So Halo hit Caron, just like Caron hit his grandfather?" Leo asked.
"Seems like it's fate," Dales said.
"It's your karma," another teased.
Caron stared down at the baby in his arms and asked, "Did you bathe Halo in the Dew of the World Tree?"
"Right after birth," Seria answered from the side.
"Maybe that's the reason why," Caron said. "He's as strong as an ox already. But wait—why does it look like he has muscles? Is it just my imagination?"
Leo snorted, then said, "Your brain's rattled from that slap!"
"Should I kill you, Leo?" Caron growled.
"Don't say bad things in front of the baby!" Leo replied.
"Ahh, whatever," Caron responded.
Still, the baby was incredibly strong. He'd grow up healthy, no doubt about it.
Caron smiled proudly, gazing into those vivid blue eyes and thinking, Halo Karien.
Caron had one more life to protect now, but he was still very happy. He wanted to build a future with this child. By the time the child grew up and started walking around on his own, he hoped the world would be a slightly better place.
So Caron would keep working hard. Without rest, harder than ever.
"Count on me," Caron whispered under his breath, knowing Halo couldn't possibly understand.
But at that moment...
Smack!
Another sharp strike landed on his cheek.
"Arrgghhh!"
"S-Stay with us, Caron!" someone shouted.
"Put the baby down!" another added.
"Hey!" a third shouted.
"T-That strike... It seemed as if... he infused mana into it... Ughhhh..." Caron managed to finish his sentence.
That evening, a rumor spread throughout the Imperial Palace that the newborn prince had knocked out Caron Leston with a single slap just moments after being born.
***
"Argh..." Caron groaned softly as he pressed a hand to his aching head and pushed himself up from the bed.
The faint scent of medicine lingered in the sterile air of the hospital wing.
Irritatingly, there was no one else around—only the muffled sound of laughter and chatter drifting from the next room over.
"Owner, how did it feel to get knocked out by a newborn?" Guillotine mocked Caron cheerfully.
Caron scowled and hurled the sword toward the corner without hesitation.
Evening had already fallen. He slowly walked to the window and looked outside, his reflection flickering against the pale moonlight.
"...He really did hit me with mana," Caron muttered.
That wasn't the kind of strength a newborn should have had. The baby had instinctively drawn in mana and packed it into that tiny palm before striking.
As Caron replayed the moment in his head, another voice echoed faintly in his memory—the voice of the World Tree.
"I already gave you the gift."
Caron wondered how he couldn't have understood what the World Tree meant when she gave such an obvious hint.
He brushed his cheek, still stinging from Halo's punch, and smiled. He admitted, "Yeah... It is a gift."
Finally, he understood.
Grabbing Guillotine, Caron strode straight out of the hospital wing. His steps carried him toward the next ward—toward his nephew.
The dazzling moonlight shone down before him.
***
Caron's steps felt lighter than ever before. The crushing guilt that had once chained him—guilt for the friend he couldn't save—melted away like frost under the morning sun.
He walked on, toward reunion. Without hesitation, without burden—just a free, unshackled stride.
The knight who had lived through two lifetimes had finally earned his freedom.